Generally, minimally invasive surgery is performed by making a small incision in the body and placing a cannula through the incision to the area to be operated on. The surgical instruments are then inserted through the cannula and manipulated from outside the body. During these procedures, the surgeon is often required to expose and handle delicate tissues, organs and other structures within the body. To accomplish this, the surgeon may use forceps. Such forceps are generally inserted into the body cavity in a collapsed conformation and are guided to their intended target. Once they reach their intended target, the forceps can be expanded. The expanded configuration allows the forceps to grip tissues and organs. During the procedure, the surgeon must positively grip the tissues and organs while, at the same time, minimizing the likelihood of damage to them. This is particularly true where the tissues and organs to be gripped are thin or delicate.
However, the use of surgical forceps devices during minimally invasive surgery experiences some shortcomings. Traditional forceps are generally formed from multiple parts that move relative to one another. The parts may move by sliding, such as in a pin joint or sled guidance; by rollers, such as in ball bearings and wheels; by tipping, such as in cutting systems as used in beam and scales systems, and the like. The movement of various parts against one another invariably involves friction, which can result in wear or deformation of the forceps. The resulting wear or deformation, in turn, can prevent precise control of the forceps and impede safety. Likewise, existing forceps are often difficult to manufacture because of the many small mechanical parts used to create the forceps.